![Ottawa, July 4, 2023 Ottawa, July 4, 2023 (photograph) by Paul Politis](https://www.paulpolitis.com/wp-content/uploads/street-signs-arrows-ottawa-black-white-photography-paul-politis-678x381.jpg)
“Despite my alienation from myself at that moment, and even though I was nothing but a battleground for invisible forces, I was aware of every detail of what was going on around me. […] Nothing escaped my eyes, I was sharp and my brain was very much alive, everything poured in toward me with a staggering distinctness as if a strong light had fallen on everything around me.”
— Knut Hamsun, Hunger